The Hermitage - St. Petersburg, Russia, Day 2, August 18, 2017

Despite everything we had read about the Hermitage, we were still unprepared for the beauty and size of St. Petersburg's most  famous museum. 

I would highly recommend a morning group tour as groups are allowed early admission. In fact we were the first to enter the museum and began our Winter Palace tour with virtually no other groups among us. From what we heard this was not the norm.  The incredible sweeping luxurious staircase was without visitors when we arrived.

When we arrived

As we were leaving

The palace is designed to impress astonish and humble visitors ...and it sure does. It has gilded ceilings showing the Greek Gods relaxing in the clouds and the walls are covered in gold and intricate carvings with massive columns and sparkling chandeliers.  All you can say is WOW! 

There are only 15-20 paintings in existence from Leonardo da Vinci - there seems to be arguments on that about authentication of a few but  the Hermitage has two of them.

The loggia is a long narrow hallway more than 200 feet long and only 13 feet wide and it's decorated with colourful paintings.  It's a replica of one of the painter Raphael's crowning achievements of the Vatican loggia in Rome.   Catherine the great had this exact replica built of Raphael's famous hallway here. It's virtually identical to the original, though the paintings here are done with tempera on canvas. 

We were told that there were over 3 million exhibits and it would take about 12 years to see them all if you stood in front of each for one minute! 

Here are some pics from our tour. 

 In the afternoon, we took an excursion to the Nevsky Prospect which was really a transfer to this popular shopping area.  Those without a visa could walk freely around and we were left for the afternoon to wander as we pleased. 

Subway stop for Nevsky Prospect

We visited an amazing food emporium and wandered through the streets looking at palaces churches and enjoying more of the beauty of this fascinating city.

Here are some pics of our afternoon. 

Next - St. Petersburg - Day 3

Penny
xxx

St. Petersburg, Russia, Day 1, August 17, 2017

First impression is that the city is beautiful. There are no high-rises and despite it's turbulent history,  St. Petersburg has managed to maintain and restore the beauty of its architecture. 

The main historical part of the city is quite compact.

Some important things you need to know about getting off the ship in St. Petersburg - If you plan on going off on your own you'll need to apply for a visa before travelling,  that could take some time and is not inexpensive, especially if you leave it to the last minute and have to have it expedited. Otherwise if you take any of the ships tours, they come with a visa so you don't have to worry about it.   Each time you leave the ship you'll need to show your passport (with the 2 stamps that you receive after your first time getting on and off the ship in St. Petersburg),  the tickets for your excursion and your sea pass to allow you back on the ship.  It's really pretty simple.

St. Petersburg is an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea and a major European cultural centre .  It is situated on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Finland and it's considered the most European of all the Russian cities. It's Russia's second largest after Moscow. It's built on a network of islands and features 65 rivers and canals that crisscross the city.  It really does remind one of Paris and at the same time because of the canals it closely resembles Venice or Amsterdam. 

Today we took the panoramic tour of St. Petersburg. Our first stop was church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. It's absolutely beautiful with its gold and ceramic onion domes- like a fairy tale.

You will see amber being sold everywhere and of course the very popular babushka nesting dolls. They vary in size and design. They start at a low price and can go up to thousands of dollars. They even have modern designs with Trump and Putin nesting in each other.

  

Another popular souvenir is the Russian hat. They come in all kinds of expensive furs as well as fake fur. 

Of course Fabergé is an important Jeweler of Russia and there are many displays where you can buy the Fabergé eggs or copies of them.

Next stop was Saint Isaac's cathedral, heavily damaged in World War II, and completely restored except some shell damage that was left in several of the columns as a reminder of the German invasion. 

Next stop - 2 giant pink rostral columns flanking the Strelka viewpoint, probably the best viewpoint in all of St. Petersburg. They were  inspired by similar towers built by Greeks and Romans  to celebrate naval victories. These columns are decorated with anchors and studded with the symbolic prows of ships defeated in battle. You can grab a coffee in this square too!

The AzAmazing evening is an included special excursion for all guests on board and was just that-AMAZING. We went to see The St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonia, the oldest Philharmonia in Russia-more than 200 years old,  at the DD Shostakovich.  It started with the red carpet when we entered and we were led upstairs to  enjoy a champagne reception before going in to the concert.

The added bonus of the evening was the drive back to the ship and seeing the palaces and monuments lit up at night… So romantic!

Stay tuned for Day 2 in St. Petersburg...

Penny

Helsinki, Finland August 15, 2017

There are many advantages of cruising on a small ship and I will tell you about them when we have a day at sea, but one stands out today. We left the big ships behind when sailing into Helsinki and took a position at  the dock, right in the heart of Helsinki, at Market Square!
The big ferris wheel was right outside the ship and it even had one car that was a sauna - the Finns love their saunas! There are actually around 2.2 million saunas in this country, 1 for every 2.5 people. We were told that 99% of Finns take a sauna at least weekly and it is said that in this country, there are more business agreements made in saunas than in actual meetings. I just don't see that happening in Toronto...

Camera Guy and I  did not sign up for tours today but rather followed a walking
tour from the local tourist office.  Azamara invites local tourist offices onboard the ship in the morning when they arrive in  port to advise passengers on things to do,  so we left armed with our maps and some advice from Elliot's friend, Laureline,  who used to live here...but first Market Square for a teensy bit of shopping LOL.  There were some unique hats and gloves (yes I did buy both) and we picked up a viking Christmas decoration- how could we resist????

Our walk took us through the streets of this European capital with its quaint cobblestone streets and grand squares with beautiful buildings.

There is definitely not a shortage of coffee shops and Camera Guy and I stopped into the Cafe Engel for one...and it was deeelicious!
The Finns believe it or not are the biggest coffee drinkers in the world.
On average, per person, they consume 26.4 pounds of the coffee per year!

We also took a tram around the city - not any old tram but one that had a bar so we enjoyed a pint while looking at the sights:)

Here are some pics from our day.

The Three Blacksmiths

At the train station

Fun Facts

• Finland has obtained a medal at every Olympic Games since 1908.
• The country has National Sleepy Head day (Finnish: Unikeonpäivä), where the last person in a family to wake up has water thrown on them or is thrown into a lake by the rest of the family.
• “The land of midnight sun” is another name for Finland because in the summer the sun shines all night and all day. Helsinki enjoys long days of almost 19 hours during summers. Conversely, during winters, the nights are longer with almost 18 hours of darkness. 
• It hosts the Wife Carrying World Championships (in which male competitors race while each carrying a female teammate) every year.
• Finland’s Rovaniemi (Lapland), the ”official hometown of Santa Claus,” is one of the main attractions for many people. Lapland is also one of the best places to view the breathtaking Northern Lights.

Next Stop St. Petersburg....

Until tomorrow

Penny

xxx

Good morning Stockholm! Aug.13 and 14, 2017

Sunday morning...
We  arrived in Stockholm and were eager to get to the ship so we could get  back into town and explore Stockholm on our own.

The transfers we purchased included a driver to pick us up but unfortunately the driver was no where in sight:(  We waited... then called and they said it would only be a few minutes so waited and called again...over one hour later he showed up.  We usually take the ship's transfers or jump in a cab but this time thought we would try another way.  We did save some money but I don't think we would do it again.  The ship's transfer system is dedicated to just that - getting you to the ship.
We checked in quickly and back to town we went -330 Kronas for a cab to the old town. This is the land of swedish meatballs, Ikea, Pippi Longstocking, ABBA, Volvo, H&M and let's not forget Stieg Larsson, the author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!

It was a little cool and rainy but we had fun walking through the old town- our destination - the Photography Museum on the waterfront , where the Irving Penn exhibit was on - Resonance-Photographs from the Pinault Collection, and it was fabulous.

24- hour room service was perfect for our late return to the ship and because the ship stayed overnight we didn't have to worry about getting back in time for sailing.

Stockholm’s old town and cobblestone streets look straight out of a fairytale. We took a tour "Land and Sea" and enjoyed the different perspectives.

Monday...
Here are some pics from our day

Like a fairytale...

Some fun facts

• Stockholm was built on 14 islands, connected by 57 bridges, earning the Swedish capital the nickname "Beauty on the Water."
• This waterfront capital has as little as six hours of daylight in the winters and as much as 18 hours of sun in the summers!
• The Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine and literature have been awarded every year in Stockholm.  As for the Nobel Peace Prize? That honor is bestowed in another Scandinavian capital: Oslo.
• If a local invites you to join him or her for a fika, they're really just asking you if you'd like to take a coffee break. (Usually there's also some kind of pastry involved.) This is particularly interesting for us at TTAND support since we have a Fika Program!
• Sweden’s national treasure, the global furniture chain IKEA, boasts a huge store but there is a larger one  that opened in 2014 in South Korea’s Gwangmyeong. 
• Sweden’s literacy rate is 99 percent, so it’s no surprise more than 4 million books are borrowed from Stockholm’s libraries 
• Swedish commuters love their bikes: approximately 70,000 cyclists cross Stockholm’s city borders daily. 
• Mamma Mia: Stockholm has an entire museum dedicated to ABBA. While visitors can get a glimpse at some of the 1970s band’s gold records, wardrobe pieces, and gadgets, the true goal of the museum is to let you “experience the feeling of being the fifth member of ABBA,” by trying on clothes, singing in the Polar studios, and even channeling your inner dancing queen by getting on stage with holograms of the band.

Next stop Helsinki, Finland

Until tomorrow...
Penny
xxx

Azamara Journey Aug 13-23,2017

August 12, 2017

Toronto Pearson Terminal 1

This year we chose Azamara. Both camera guy and I had never cruised on Azamara Club Cruises and when we saw the itinerary Stockholm to St. Petersburg on the Azamara Journey, we thought this would be a great trip.

Packing for this trip was a bit of a challenge because I knew it could be cool but it could be warm too, so I would need both options...the clothes aren't such a big deal, it is those darn shoes....Camera Guy made some room in his bag:). What a guy!

First stop was Park n Fly, where I dropped my phone upon exiting the car and the glass shattered!!!  It was in a case by the way, but I guess it just hit the ground at the wrong angle. Oh well, there is nothing I can do about it until I get to Stockholm...maybe I can get it fixed there...I am not going to worry about it.  So if I email you and my spelling is off, it's because I can't see the words!

We went to the airport early and settled in at the Premium Lounge (Dan's platinum American Express card gives free access) so we could relax a little before the flight- no need to rush- it's our vacation!!!

The Air Canada flight to Zurich was good-A window seat but no window LOL We transferred through Zurich and when you take the tram between terminals, there is the sound of cowbells and cows mooing...pretty funny!

Next stop-Stockholm....
Until tomorrow
Penny
xxx

July 2014 - Italy - Elliot and Leah's Arrival

Remembering- a year ago....

 My son Elliot is attending school in Calgary and doesn't come back to Toronto very often.... Christmas and sometimes during the summer...I miss him so much...

And so when he was spending time at the Max-Planck Institute in Germany and decided that he would remain in Europe to travel a bit, I was delighted.  We were going to be in Italy at the same time and would be able to spend some vacation time with him.  Leah, his girlfriend, would meet up with him in Germany and they would travel around before meeting us in Rapello.   I was soooo excited! Especially after our ordeal (previous blog post with the stolen lens) that we had recently gone through.  It really was the first real vacation time with Elliot in many years.

 There is something very exciting about meeting someone special at a train station in a foreign place.  I was like a little kid waiting  for them to arrive and when I saw them get off the train, I was jumping for joy.

We rented a house near Zoagli, a quaint little seaside town. Off we went for a seaside dinner in Zoagli at a little restaurant with a pretty view.

The following days we visited Portofino, an Italian fishing village and vacation resort famous for its picturesque harbour, its celebrities with its million dollar yachts and the highlight of the stay -  The Cinque Terre, the five lands comprised of five villages: Monteroso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola,and Riomaggiore. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages  of The Cinque Terre and cars are not welcome and cannot access the villages from the outside. We hiked, trained and ferried to these charming rugged villages.  We had long dinners on our terrace overlooking the sea.... and life was good.

Ciao for now,
Penny and Camera Guy (Dan)